Реферат на тему UnH1d Essay Research Paper Steven SchwartzMr Speight
Работа добавлена на сайт bukvasha.net: 2015-06-14Поможем написать учебную работу
Если у вас возникли сложности с курсовой, контрольной, дипломной, рефератом, отчетом по практике, научно-исследовательской и любой другой работой - мы готовы помочь.
Untitled Essay, Research Paper
Steven Schwartz
Mr. Speight Edna’s Character
The society of Grand Isle places many expectations on its women to belong
to men and be subordinate to their children. Edna Pontellier’s society,
therefore, abounds with “mother-women,” who “idolized their children, worshipped
their husbands, and esteemed it to a holy privilege to efface themselves
as individuals”. The characters of Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz
represent what society views as the suitable and unsuitable woman figures.
Mademoiselle Ratignolle as the ideal Grand Isle woman, a home-loving mother
and a good wife, and Mademoiselle Reisz as the old, unmarried, childless,
musician who devoted her life to music, rather than a man. Edna oscillates
between the two identities until she awakens to the fact that she needs to
be an individual, but encounters the resistance of society’s standards
to her desire.
Kate Chopin carefully, though subtly, establishes that Edna does not neglect
her children, but only her mother-woman image. Chopin portrays this idea
by telling the reader “…Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The
mother-woman seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle”. Edna tries on
one occasion to explain to Adele how she feels about her children and how
she feels about herself, which greatly differs from the mother-woman image.
She says: “I would give up the unessential; I would give my money; I would
give my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself. I can’t
make it more clear; it’s only something I am beginning to comprehend,
which is revealing itself to me.” This specifically contrasts the mother-woman
idea of self-sacrificing for your husband and children. Also, the “something
. . . which is revealing itself” does not become completely clear to Edna
herself until just before the end, when she does indeed give her life, but
not her self for her children’s sake. Although Edna loves her children
she does not confuse her own life with theirs.
Similarly to Edna’s relationship with her children is that with her
husband, Leonce. The Grand Isle society defines the role of wife as full
devotion towards their husband and to self-sacrafice for your husband. Edna
never adhered to the societies definition, even at the beginning of the novel.
For example, the other ladies at Grand Isle “all declared that Mr. Pontellier
was the best husband in the world.” And “Mrs. Pontellier was forced to admit
she knew of none better”. By using words like “forced” and “admit” Chopin
illustrates Edna’s true feelings towards Leonce. That she married him
not because there are none better, but because there are also none worse.
Edna’s leaving Leonce’s mansion is another important detail when
considering her rebellion against the mother-woman idea. By moving to her
own residence, Edna takes a colossal step towards autonomy, a direct violation
of the mother-woman image. Throughout The Awakening, Edna increasingly distances
herself from the image of the mother-woman, until her suicide, which serves
as the total opposite of the mother-woman image.
Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, the two important female subsidary
characters, provide the two different identities Edna associates with. Adele
serves as the perfect “mother-woman” in The Awakening, being both married
and pregnant, but Edna does not follow Adele’s footsteps. For Edna,
Adele appears unable to perceive herself as an individual human being. She
possesses no sense of herself beyond her role as wife and mother, and therefore
Adele exists only in relation to her family, not in relation to herself or
the world. Edna desires individuality, and the identity of a mother-woman
does not provide that. In contrast to Adele Ratignolle, Mademoiselle Reisz
offers Edna an alternative to the role of being yet another mother-woman.
Mademoislle Reisz has in abundance the autonomy that Adele completely lacks.
But Reisz’s life lacks love, while Adele abounds in it. Mademoiselle
Reisz’s loneliness makes clear that an adequate life cannot build altogether
upon autonomy. Although she has a secure sense of her own individuality and
autonomy, her life lacks love, friendship, or warmth.
What Edna chooses for her identity is a combination of Adele Ratignolle and
Mademoiselle Reisz. More honest in self-awareness than Adele, more dependent
on human relationships than Reisz.
In The Awakening the woman’s existance intertwines with her maternal
nature. Edna’s sense of herself as a complete person makes impossible
her role of wife and mother as defined by her society; yet she discovers
that her role of mother also makes impossible her continuing development
as an autonomous individual. So her thoughts as she walks into the sea comment
profoundly on the identity problems that women face: “She thought of Leonce
and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought
that they could possess her, body and soul”. Unable to have a full human
existence, Edna chooses to have none at all.
318